Meet Ivelisse Rivera, farm manager at MOFGA certified organic Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro.Darthia Farm is owned by Cynthia and Bill Thayer, who, with their family, hire help and MOFGA apprentices, raise produce, herbs and livestock and sell their produce, fiber products, and jams, jellies and other goods from their commercial kitchen at their farm store, at farmers’ markets, through their CSA and through their catalog.

Seed collectors toil to preserve genetic diversityKennebec Journal - 3/14/2010.By Mechele Cooper – Sam Birch's favorite heirloom seed is called Jacob's Cattle, which produces mottled white-and-maroon-splotched beans. The retired Cony High School science teacher has saved heirloom seeds for 20 years -- he now grows more than 300 varieties of beans at his home in Whitefield -- and is enthralled with their beauty.

Websites that connect would-be farmers to land are bloomingGrist - 3/12/2010.By Bonnie Azab Powell – A new website called the Midwest Farm Connection aims to connect new farmers with established farmland owners, and to the resources they need to get a sustainable operation up and running -- from small-business advice to lists of possible funding sources.

Going toque to toquePortland Press Herald - 3/10/2010.By Meredith Goad – South Portland: Lindsay Bradeen has decided it's time to "go big or go home." "'Into the Flow' for 500," she says confidently. "There you go, the biggie," replies Chef Geoffrey Boardman, Bradeen's teacher, coach and the culinary version of Alex Trebek. Boardman reads the "Jeopardy"-style question Bradeen has chosen from the board: "From top to bottom, what order should duck, ground beef, salmon and strawberries be stored?" Ding! Bradeen's team hits the bell by the time the word "salmon" comes out of the coach's mouth.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, Unity. Keynote speaker John Aber and a panel of farmers focus on weather- and climate-related changes farmers are experiencing. Includes open discussion on strategies for farmers to deal with changing climate. Information and registration.

Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon, Houlton Higher Education Center, Rm 110, 18 Military St, Houlton. Presented by Eric Sideman, Crop Specialist, MOFGA. Hosted by the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District. The class is the second in a three-part high tunnel series funded by the Broad Reach Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. 1 pesticide credit is available through the class. A complementary lunch will be served. Pre-registration is requested. Contact the SASWCD at 532-2087 x 101 or angela.wotton@me.nacdnet.net

11 a.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Join this panel of experts on local sustainability in their discussion of the importance of public food forests, public orcharding, edible street trees, permablitzing and community gardens. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.

Two-part course designed to provide farmers with a strong background in soils, weeds and pest management, enabling them to make good management decisions. Lectures by Eric Sideman, MOFGA's organic crop specialist, and local farmers. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Locations: Palermo with Angus Deighan; Beech Hill Farm, Mount Desert with C.J. Walke; or Kermit Nickerson School, Swanville with Sean Murphy. Do you have old trees on your land that you would like to bring back into production? Learn how to renovate and tend your heritage trees. $50 non-members; $35 members. Information and registration.

6:30 p.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Hear Christy Hemenway from Gold Star Honeybees, Heather Spalding, MOFGA deputy director, and Fedco Seeds founder CR Lawn talk about our pollinators and the national and local issues that concern them and our food supply. Maine honey and mead tasting to follow. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.